In his last concert film, "Laugh at My Pain," Kevin Hart and his team huddle backstage before he goes on.

"Everybody wanna be famous, nobody wanna put the work in," they chant together, over and over. "Everybody wanna be famous, nobody wanna put the work in."

Kevin Hart, 34, puts the work in.

The poor kid from Philadelphia and former shoe salesman started out more than a dozen years ago as a stand-up called Lil Kev. It did not go well (at one of his first gigs, a heckler threw a chicken wing at him).

But once Hart found his own voice — a raw, honest, sometimes excitable voice talking about growing up poor, short and the son of a drug-addled dad and fiercely protective mom — his career took off.

And continues to soar — in comedy specials, scene-stealing parts in movies like "Think Like a Man," television skits with Conan O'Brien, his wild supporting role as a boxing promoter in the upcoming "Grudge Match" and next month's action comedy with Ice Cube, "Ride Along."

Hart faces some full-court opposition in 'Think Like a Man'

Q: So in "Grudge Match," you're in there with Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro — two pretty big presences, not just as characters but as stars. Did you feel a little nervous getting between them? A: I mean, of course, you're working with two legends, two accomplished stars, so naturally coming in, you've got your squeamish moments. But you're required to do a job, and you've got to do that or otherwise it's, 'OK, why is he here?' So, you know, you show up, you know your lines, you try not to rub anyone the wrong way.

Q: Most of the films you've done so far — "Think Like a Man," the "Death at a Funeral" remake — you're part of an ensemble. What do you try to bring to that? A: Basically, I try to bring myself. As a comedian, I learned that being myself is what people enjoy, that sense of realism, that sense of believability. So doing a movie, if I can incorporate that raw authenticity, it helps with the character. You know, in movies, we're not all trained thespians, not everybody — some of us, like myself, we come from a comedic background, and then we get hired to play a part and now we're trying to be something other than what we are, and that can be scary. And I think you have to remember, they hired you for being you, and you have to find a way to bring you to the character.

Q: You've talked about growing up on some pretty tough Philadelphia streets. Was comedy a weapon for you as a kid, or more of a shield? A: Definitely a shield. I wasn't the biggest guy around. My humor — I will just say, my humor got me out of some crazy situations. I will just leave it at that.

Q: And how did you turn that, eventually, into a career? How did your act change over the years? A: Well, starting out, I didn't have a voice. I was just there talking about what people wanted to hear, what I thought they wanted to hear. Now I have my own voice and I talk about stuff they relate to. It isn't just about being funny and making sure everything makes sense and then ending with a big boom, "Good night, everybody!" you know? It's about making sense of what's happened in my life. It does not have to be perfect, but it does have to be honest.

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Q: You talk about your dad, your uncle, drugs, poverty — a lot of dysfunction, a lot of pain. Not every comic would be comfortable with that. A lot of folks would rather joke about airplanes, or the internet. A: Yeah, a lot of comedians are — I want to say this right without sounding stupid but — a lot of comics, they want to present themselves as a certain person, you know? There's this comfort zone, this person they present themselves as, and stepping out of that, that scares them. "Is the audience going to like this person?" But I think if you're yourself, if you stay true to that, the audience is going to respect that, they're going to like being around that real version of you. And actually it's a lot easier, because you're not putting up this front all the time.

Q: Your male relatives come up for a lot of jokes in your act. But what was your mom like? A: Oh, she was one of the most amazing women, very strong, very independent. She and my dad had their battles, their challenges, which is why she took things into her own hands, raised me and my brother herself, in a single room. Tough lady, but very spiritual, very religious, loved God, loved the Bible, loved educating us, loved making sure we had the information we needed to go on and succeed... When I went into comedy, there was some double-checking and triple-checking, definitely: "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" But once she saw it was, there was a lot of positivity. She was like, "OK, you go off then and you be the best there is."

Q: You seem to be working hard at that. You've got this movie, you've got the Ice Cube picture in January. There's a remake of "About Last Night" and a sequel to "Think Like a Man" coming. There's the "Real Husbands of Hollywood" TV show. You don't stop. A: My goals are big. You're looking at a self-made man, and I am continually setting the bars higher. I've got a production company, I'm getting ready to go back on tour - this is why you put in the hard work, so it can pay off... I mean, "Ride Along," I'm really excited about, it's a leading role, it's my first action-comedy, it's something which could turn into a franchise. Ice Cube, I look up to him, what he's done with his career. And he and I have a real rapport, real chemistry onscreen... It's a good story, he's this veteran cop, and I'm this guy who wants to marry his sister, and he invites me on this ride-along and tries to intimidate the hell out of me.

Q: And who was really more intimidating? Ice Cube or your Mom? A: Oh my Mom. My Mom had him beat by far.